


The Attic

by silencedancer



Category: DCU
Genre: Gen, One-Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-07-14
Updated: 2007-07-14
Packaged: 2017-10-04 08:32:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silencedancer/pseuds/silencedancer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Scarecrow has an attic hideout, which he likes for various reasons.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Attic

In the slums of Gotham, Jonathan Crane, better known as the Scarecrow, had made one of his hideouts in a rather unlikely place. Unlike his usual basement and ground level hideouts, this one was in the attic of an abandoned building.

Usually, he only used it as a stopping place when he needed to hide and could not get to any of his other hideouts, but there were other reasons he kept it protected from others, whether it would be Batman, a fellow felon, or just a random homeless person.

It was because he liked attics and the feelings that they invoked. Attics weren't uncommon things when it came to horror movies and this one had the particular sense of being one of those attics that felt lost and abandoned. Forgotten boxes littered the attic—all remnants of the previous inhabitants. Jonathan liked looking through the boxes sometimes, blowing off the dust that had collected on them and finding things such as old porcelain dolls which he liked because of their eerie, blank stares.

Occasionally as he shifted through the boxes, he wondered what had happened here for people to leave such lovely things behind. He had heard people say that before this area became a slum, decades ago, a rich family who lived here was murdered by an escaped Arkham inmate when the asylum was still shiny and new. Perhaps the building was also haunted like the rumormongers said, but Jonathan didn't mind; he liked haunted places anyway.

He liked it so much that he had made a place for himself in a small empty room set apart from the main attic area. In it he kept a mattress with a blanket, non-perishable food supplies, a small cooking stove, and some of his precious fear chemicals—kept separate from the food of course. Jonathan only spent time there during the fall and winter for it was too hot in the attic in the other seasons, but it was a good place.

That is until Batman found it despite the pains that Jonathan took to hide it.

\----

Dressed in his Scarecrow outfit, Jonathan snuck into his attic hideout. He was breathing hard after a long run over rooftops in an attempt to gather distance on Batman, to whom he had just given a dose of his fear gas. He cursed his bad luck as he leaned his back against the plastered wall and slid down so that he was sitting.

"That was close…" said Jonathan as he checked his canister of fear gas. It was empty since he used up the last of it on Batman and because of this, he swore because he was now practically defenseless, especially since Batman still might find him. Knowing him, Jonathan knew that Batman was often prepared to deal with his fear gas and he only used it this time because he did not expect the man and thus was unprepared.

Then he remembered that he had an extra canister of the gas in his small attic room. Making his way through the dark attic, he had to keep from running into boxes lest he caught the attention of anyone. When he entered the room, the first thing he did was look into the small metal cabinet he used to keep his chemicals and…his canister was not there.

"Where is it?!" said Jonathan as he backed up and hit…something with his back. He turned around, angry, only to see the dark figure of Batman.

"I assume you were looking for this?" Batman held up a small canister similar to the empty one that Jonathan had.

"Give that to me and get out of my home, Batman!" shouted Jonathan and he stamped his foot.

"Crane, this isn't your home. Arkham is," said Batman and he lunged, which Jonathan evaded. Then he pushed the caped crusader out of the way and ran toward the doorway. But Jonathan did not reach it because Batman grabbed Jonathan by the back of his shirt and turned him around. Jonathan lashed out and tried to fight off the stronger man as he yelled about how he did not want to return to Arkham.

Batman's only response was to punch Jonathan in the stomach, so that Jonathan would double over in pain. Taking advantage of the situation, Batman handcuffed him.

"You'll get help there, Dr. Crane. You don't belong out here."

Jonathan could only just stare at the floor in defeat before Batman took him away from his attic.


End file.
